Blogger: Rachel Kent
If you are submitting query letters into the sea of literary agents and editors and you aren’t getting any bites, the reason could be one of these below. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that your query is one in hundreds that agents or editors receive each month, so the competition is fierce.
Here are four reasons your query might be passed up:
1) You’ve written about a perennial topic without a unique angle or strong platform.
You decided to write about parenting, marriage, prayer, dieting or some other large topic but you are not the expert in the field and/or you don’t have a unique approach. It’s extremely difficult to find a unique angle on these overdone topics, so approach perennial topics cautiously. If you aren’t an expert with a large following, your time and energy might be better spent writing something else.
2) Your query letter is poorly written.
Maybe you didn’t take the time to spell check or to ask some beta-readers to take a look and give you feedback. Or perhaps you didn’t follow the query guidelines listed on the agency or publishing house website. Maybe you wrote the entire letter with CAPS LOCK on or you didn’t do justice to your story in your brief description. If you don’t do well with a one-page letter, how confident is an agent or editor going to feel about your ability to write a quality book?
3) The topic wasn’t right for the agent or editor you submitted to.
Sometimes your query is beautifully written and on a great topic and it is still rejected. Most of the time this is because the story or project didn’t grab the interest of the agent or editor. They might have been mildly interested, but they might be mildly interested in 50 of the query letters that came that month. You need to find the agent or editor who really gets your idea and this can take time.
4) You wrote your book for a niche market.
I received a query last week for a book that was heartfelt and powerful, but it was specifically aimed toward a support community for one type of cancer. This book was unlikely to be salable and so I couldn’t take it on. Publishing houses are always looking for books that can appeal to a broad readership, so be careful about limiting yours. There are some publishing houses that do publish books for specific niche markets, but your best bet is to keep your potential audience as big as you can.
TWEETABLE
Four reasons your query letter might be rejected. From literary agent @RachelLKent Click to tweet.
Targeted and practical, quality work and the right people. Methinks your advice applies to more than publishing, Rachel.
Yes, it can apply to many aspects of life! 🙂
Thank you for that sneak peek inside.
With a query letter, if I’m thinking right, you only get about one paragraph to sell your story, right? That’s critical. Wording is critical.
Yep. 1 page to sell your book! It’s quite daunting.
I’m going to go out on a limb, and Rachel, if I’m wrong, please feel free to fire up the chainsaw. (And the Family Force Five music video for the song of that name.)
One more reason, one with which a reader might identify, is that agents are human. We, as readers, have our “seasons”; sometimes we pick up a book and it just doesn’t feel right to us. It may be right later, or have been right earlier, but isn’t right now.
My guess is that agents can feel this way, too. A project, or an author, may just trigger the response, “There’s something wrong, but while this is a skilled writer and a great book (or concept), I simply can’t work with it now, and I don’t know why.”
It’s kind of like dating…ever meet the perfect guy or gal (EVERYONE say they are) and you’re just…”Meh” ?
There is a quatrain (love to know who wrote it)that says it well:
“I do not love thee, Dr. Fell;
the reason why I cannot tell,
but this alone I know full well:
I do not love thee, Dr. Fell.”
To prop up my shaky limb…it does seems that the reverse can happen. Some of our best-loved books were picked up because while the professional auguries screamed “WRONG”. the gut said, “go with it.”
Or perhaps it was the still, small voice.
I’m speaking, of course, of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Written by a niche author (Bach had written three aviation books, and wrote for flying magazines), under 10,000 words, and looking like a children’s book for grown-ups, it didn’t seem to fit in anywhere.
Rejected by over thirty publishers, Jonathan’s wings seemed forever clipped until Eleanor Friede decided to take a chance, and bought the rights.
Jonathan’s trials were not over. He was kicked out of the nest with almost no publicity…and boy, did he fly! He defined viral thirty years early, leaving the world, in Bach’s words, “covered about two feet deep in copies of JSL.”
That does happen, Andrew. For me, I have been slowing down on acquiring YA manuscripts even though I do love them. It’s just not a good season for them in the publishing world right now.
I’ve passed on many good ideas because I don’t think I could sell them right now.
And yes, “chemistry” does have something to do with it, too.
And if I loved the book, but didn’t feel like I connected with the author, I’d say no to that one. There are lots of factors–a lot more than just the 4 I listed. 🙂
Seems as though we are looking for someone who simply loves what we have written and thinks they know what to do with it.
Yes. Do your best on your query and manuscript and then hope to find the right fit–and the right timing for what you are writing.
Hubs researches and writes in a niche market: tree science. And in that niche, there are a few journals who are specifically geared toward certain sub-genres.
Piceas marianas, anyone? Seriously, I can hook you up with some epic carbon isotope research.
Even though he IS kind of ‘all that’ in his field, he’s had several papers rejected on the grounds that his work didn’t quite suit the focus of certain chi-chi-foo-foo/we’re awesome-you aren’t/head in the clouds type journals.
Yes, even in the hallowed and nerdy halls of pine tree research, there are reasons for work to be rejected.
Maybe because the other umm, lab coats, found out he’s spoken to a girl, who knows. 😉
The moral of the story? One can still be the best, and still get rejected.
Ha ha, I love it! I married a board game geek rather than a science geek. He is so great. We should write more geeky heroes into our stories, they are the truly awesome ones in the end.
I must admit that it feels like a needle in a haystack! My query letter is getting noticed and read. But I am getting the usual…”didn’t connect” or “not a right fit for me.” I think I would prefer, “I hated it!” That seems more definitive! But as you said, and the other agents I have queried have noted, “Keep querying and find someone who will champion it.” I guess it is a numbers game???? Thank you for your article. I appreciate the insight.
I have been ready to send a query letter out for some time but I am stalling. I kep checking to make sure I have everything right. After reading your article, I have to check again. Thank you for the article, you always have wonderful advice.
Interesting comments. I’m happy I found this blog.
I’d like to be an agent for a day (one day only) because it would be fascinating to read all the queries. I’m sure it would be eye-opening and educational. Agents have a tough job.
Rachel,
Thank you for a very useful and practical post. This information is extremely important for all writers, including new ones like me.
Thanks for this post, Rachel. Some useful things to keep in mind. I’ll have to refer back when I do start writing my query letter…